Around The Flame
by LastCetra
Summary: Set during the game around the eternal flame of Cosmo Canyon. Aeris is thinking about her journey so far, her race, Cloud, Zack, and a new feeling she is starting to feel. Cloud x Aeris, one-shot


_**Around The Flame**_

_**By LastCetra**_

Aeris sat at the Cosmo Candle with all of her friends. Looking around, she saw that everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Barret, Tifa and Red XIII, (whose original name they had just found out was Nanaki,) in particular. Yuffie looked incredibly bored, but, anywhere with no materia was a boring place to her. Cait Sith was, well, Cait Sith. He didn't seem concerned about anything, just happy that he was here again. Though she took in her friend's demeanours, she wasn't really interested in any of them, with the exception of one, of course. The spiky blonde haired, blue-eyed, muscular warrior that sat quietly talking to Barret right now.

She tilted her head to the side and rested her chin on her hand. She looked to be in a thinking pose, but in reality it was just a cover to hide that she was staring at that amazingly attractive man. It seemed like it had been just yesterday that they had met. She had replayed the scene over and over again in her mind a thousand times since then.

"_Don't see many flowers around here."_

"_Oh, these? Do you like them? They're only a gil…?"_

Who'd have thought that such a simple conversation could have led them to here, sitting around the Eternal Flame of Cosmo Canyon. She smiled. Life could be funny sometimes. She wondered who he had given the flower to. It was a small pink one, her favourite colour. Iflana's favourite colour…

She'd learned so much about the Cetra since she'd come to this place; about her ancestors, how they lived, what they believed in, and how they used their powers to help and heal, like she did. She learned some legends from Elder Hargo about corrupt Cetra who'd gone astray and managed to channel their powers to harm, yet the good Cetra would always fight and win, because their powers never let them get a scratch. She learned about the Queen of the Cetra, named Corona. Legend had it there was a crystal that existed on the Planet called "Corona's Light," which could do many things. It could help the Cetra find their way when they were lost in their search for the Promised Land, but what humans found most fascinating was that it could be used for resurrection. She'd also learned about the Temple of the Ancients and the Forgotten Capital of the Cetra. She hoped she'd get to see these places. She wondered where the Forgotten Capital was. A city that was once home to the Cetra, where they lived, where people like her lived. She'd even asked Iflana where it was. She'd been stubborn, saying it wasn't time for her to go there yet, but she would go soon enough. She then stopped talking to her for some reason. Iflana was probably worried. There would probably be a lot more monsters on the way there. It didn't matter though. She didn't like fighting, but she had Cloud to protect her.

"_Say Cloud. Have you ever been a bodyguard? You DO do everything, right?" _

"_Yeah, that's right."_

"_Then, take me out of here. Take me home."_

"_Okay, I'll do it… but it'll cost you."_

"_Well then, let's see…" _She smirked to herself like she always did when she remembered this bit, the nerve she had. She just blurted it out when the sentence popped into her head. She lent forward, her arms clasped behind her back and looked under his messy hair into his eyes.

"_How about if I go out with you once?"_

….her bodyguard. She had to laugh. A poor flower girl in the slums, paying her employee with a date. How stupid. It felt funny, looking at him from across the fire. His blonde hair had fallen over his azure eyes making him look so mysterious, so handsome…

_Get a grip Aeris,_ her inner voice told her. _You're such a hopeless romantic._

She closed her eyes, shutting it out. She was not, otherwise she'd be attracted to everything that wore trousers. Cloud was, special. She saw past his stoic exterior, saw past all the walls he raised, day by day. He was afraid of emotion, but she would get it out of him if it was the last thing she'd do. She knew he was a nice kind and caring guy, he just didn't know it yet. That's why he agreed to protect her, why he took her to sector seven with him instead of making her go home, and that was why he saved her when Shinra kidnapped her.

_She had been weeding her flowers when he'd crashed through the roof of her church. It happened so fast. First there was nothing, then there was debris falling everywhere. She jumped back from shock, then seeing the rubble everywhere, got very, very annoyed and started marching forward, just wanting to get everything off her flowers before any more damage could be done. She stopped short when she saw the man in the middle of all her flowers. Not just any man though. He had a muscular build and a gigantic sword was lying next to him, his hand gripped loosely on it._

"_Zack?" she asked. But after saying it she realised how stupid she'd sounded. This guy was blonde. Sure, the sword was scarily similar, and so were the clothes, but it definitely wasn't him. She crouched down to get a better look, and immediately realised that she had sold him a flower yesterday._

"_Please," she pleaded. "Don't be dead." She bowed her head and concentrated very hard. The wind she could summon was a new thing she'd only been able to do, and she found it amazing that whenever she could manage it she felt almost completely refreshed. Hopefully it would help him too. It swept around her body and down her arm, flowing to where she laid her hand on his chest._

_He stirred. Aeris heaved a sigh of relief_

"_Hello, hello!" she called._

_His eyelids fluttered open, revealing his sapphire eyes. She stood up quickly, startled to find that they emitted a strange glow, the mark of SOLDIER. She wondered if he knew about Zack…_

"_You okay?"_

She had talked to him that day about stupid little things, like her useless materia, her flowers, and the church. He listened to her ramble on and on, and she liked that about him. He didn't brush her off or anything like a lot of other people had, he just smiled and took it all in. It was also funny when he jumped off her flowers as quickly as he could. It was amazing. She could feel the connection before they had even introduced themselves properly.

"_Now that you mention it, we don't know each other's names, do we? I'm Aeris, the flower girl. Nice to meet you." He nodded and took a pose._

"_The name's Cloud. Me, I do a little of everything." Aeris covered her mouth with her hand and giggled._

"_Oh, a jack of all trades?" she asked, jokingly. Cloud smiled slyly._

"_Yeah, I do whatever's needed."_

The nicest thing was though he barely knew her, he took her home, and had tried in vain to stop her from coming with him to Sector Seven because it was dangerous. He really was the most considerate person. He saved her from Shinra Headquarters, helped her out when she needed him the most. She smiled. The perfect bodyguard.

She watched him for a while more. He acted so much like Zack, it was really strange. He had the same body structure, his hair was spiky like his, even if it was a little shorter and blonde.

"_Zack… SOLDIER First Class." she paused, looking at him. "Same as Cloud."_

They were so similar. The way they walked, gestured, even how he sat and talked made her think of Zack. Maybe that's what SOLDIER made people act like.

_Am I seeing Zack, or Cloud…?_

She shook her head furiously. No. He was different. Even though he acted like him, and did similar things to him, he was Cloud. The courageous, heroic, caring Cloud. There were subtle differences in his character, things Zack never could have done. And his eyes, his beautiful azure eyes that held so much emotion, so much spirit. That was something she'd never ever seen in Zack.

"_I think it was five years ago. He went on a job and never came back."_

Something clicked in her mind. Five years ago? That was the same time Cloud went on a mission to Nibelhiem. There weren't that many other missions going on at the time, Zack had said so himself. He had taken a mission out of sheer boredom cause it was quiet in Midgar. Could he have gone to Nibelhiem? It was too much of a coincidence to ignore.

"_Strange, there aren't that many who make First Class, but I've never heard of him."_

Why didn't Cloud ever mention him? If they were both from SOLDIER First Class, at the same place at the same time, why didn't Cloud meet Zack? How could he not have remembered him? And with Cloud acting like Zack…

"I think, I'm beginning to understand now Cloud," she whispered to herself. "I'll have to search for you. I want to meet _you_."

Her thoughts were erased as Cloud's eyes locked with hers. He smiled warmly and started walking over to her. She felt her heart beginning to pound faster and faster with each step he took. Why did she feel like her insides had turned to mush? Why did she feel the need to say something intelligent to impress him so he'd notice her? What she would do to go on that date, what would she say, do, wear? What would she say now?

He reached her and looked down at her. Aeris could say nothing, no words could come and besides, her mouth felt like sandpaper.

"Hey Aeris," he said. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before realising she had to answer, which seemed impossible because of the acrobats practising in her stomach, making it jolt and flip everywhere.

"Uh, hi," she replied, coughing slightly to clear her throat. "Sit down." He did, very close in fact, so close they were almost touching. He brought one knee to his chest and let the other extend fully. Ever the warrior, protecting his vital organs as much as he could, even when relaxed. What your sub-consciousness could be capable of. She gave him a smile, their eyes still trapped in each other's gaze. She felt so helpless; it was the one part of her life where she felt she didn't have control. Her emotions made her crazy. They mixed her up leaving her feeling vulnerable, open and confused. When it came to her feelings, she was the weakest person ever, she wore everything on her sleeve. But the most bizarre thing was when she was around Cloud, it felt alright, which was even more confusing. He made everything feel alright.

"So, he asked. "What are you thinking about?"

_Besides the fact that I think I'm falling in love with you?_

"I learned a lot. The elders thought me many things. About the Cetra… and the Promised Land…" What did it matter? She could never tell him what she really felt. She had tried to make it clear to him about her feelings in other ways, subtle hints and such, but men could never pick up on these things.

"I'm… alone… I'm all alone now…" she said sorrowfully, and it wasn't about being the last Cetra.

"But I'm," Cloud started, then shook his head quickly. "we're here for you, right?"

_Did I hear that properly? _she thought. No, it must have been a figment of her imagination.

"I know, I know," she replied, and decided to steer the conversation away from her feelings for him, even though he already thought she was talking about her dying race. "But I'm the only… Cetra."

She saw concern cross his features, and he leaned in toward her slightly, his blue eyes sparkling. Aeris became suddenly conscious that their faces were very near each other.

"Does that mean we can't help?" he asked softly.

Aeris looked away. He didn't understand. She knew it was more than likely her fault because she didn't make it clear enough but… He was so nice, always there to help her out and look after her, the perfect gentleman. Then why was it that she couldn't just tell him everything she wanted? Every wish, every desire?

Cloud looked at her and sighed. Realising she wasn't going to say anymore, he stood up and walked over to Tifa. Aeris felt an awful feeling sweep her stomach. She hated it when she got jealous. It made her feel possessive and ugly, like a monster. She thought Tifa was a wonderful person, she really did, but when she was anywhere near Cloud she got a feeling that made her so different to what she really was.

Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and willed the feeling away. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You're always looking out for me Iflana, aren't you?" she whispered. "Thanks." She returned to her thinking pose and continued to watch Cloud, a faint smile playing on her lips. There was still time. All she had to do was be patient and try harder to work up the courage to just say it. She pulled her knees to her chest. Yes, there was all the time in the world, so she could wait a little longer.

Besides, what harm could come from waiting?

**The End.**

_Authors Note: I always thought that Aeris knew about what happened in Nibelhiem through some of the things she says, for example the date scene when she says "I want to meet…you" and also a very important scene **before **the date sequence when she just runs off for no apparent reason, saying she's tired. I found it strange that they were talking about the "men in black capes". I didn't however, contrary to a number of Aeris fans, think she knew she was going to die, so a put a lot of irony in this fic. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Thanks for reading!_

_LastCetra_


End file.
